


Somewhere in My Youth (Or Childhood)

by babbyspanch



Series: Sound of Music only we are on Mars which is pretty neat [2]
Category: The Penumbra Podcast
Genre: First Kiss, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-02
Updated: 2017-07-02
Packaged: 2018-11-22 15:13:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11382792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/babbyspanch/pseuds/babbyspanch
Summary: They were in the deep, dark silence that one only encountered in a graveyard. The seven of them crouched, as silent as the dead around them, hoping this slinking, dangerous woman wouldn’t find them.Julian looked up at Juno, eyes bright with unshed tears. “Mr. Glass used to say… that if we sang about our favourite things—““I don’t think now is the best time for that.”





	Somewhere in My Youth (Or Childhood)

They were in the deep, dark silence that one only encountered in a graveyard. The seven of them crouched, as silent as the dead around them, hoping this slinking, dangerous woman wouldn’t find them.

Julian looked up at Juno, eyes bright with unshed tears. “Mr. Glass used to say… that if we sang about our favourite things—“

“I don’t think now is the best time for that,” Juno hissed, cutting Julian off but dragging him close to his chest. It turned into less of a hug and more of a smothering stranglehold when Julian flung his arms around Juno’s neck tightly. Juno wheezed.

“I miss Mr.Glass,” the kid whispered, hardly moving his mouth at all. At least he was listening to Juno about being quiet.

“Me too,” said Vicky, her voice thick with anger. Juno reached over and patted the back of her head as he had seen Peter do.

“I know, but he’s gone now. And he’d want you both to stay very, very quiet,” Juno hissed, pushing his back closer up against the giant marble headstone. It was freezing cold, sucking the heat from his back and making Juno shiver. The absence of something he had grown used to struck a chord in Juno, reminding him harshly of that night…

Now was not the time for a meandering trip down memory lane.

Now was the time to keep his wits about him in case that woman found them.

Juno glanced over to see Sasha and Rita huddled close, Annie and Mick beyond them behind another giant grave marker.

Funerals didn’t really make a lot of sense in this day and age, these were all ancient relics, dedications worn away by time. No one buried the dead anymore. They had them turn to carbon and compressed into stones, or had their ashes combined with clay and turned into a fancy vase, or any other number of irreverent tacky choices that Juno hoped desperately would never occur to his body. He wanted to die in a ditch and stay there, thank you very much.

But this graveyard was on a hill-- the geographical opposite of a ditch—and Juno was not the type to die on hills.

Julian shifted against his chest, and the kids head knocked hard into Juno’s chin, sending his head flying back into a corner of the stone monolith behind them. Juno inhaled sharply as the pain flooded through him, clouding his eyes for a second. He felt the hot, sticky drip of blood gather in his collar and he grit his teeth, staying silent.

Footsteps approached, insubstantial on the packed earth, but somehow enough for Juno to be terrified.

“Come on out,” the woman’s voice rasped. “I don’t need to kill you all. I can, but I don’t need to. I just want the artifact.”

Juno saw Sasha and Rita stiffen out of the corner of his eye. So this was bad then.

Juno wracked his mind for anything related to an ‘artifact’ that he had been notified of being transferred to the Wire Estate.

Julian was trembling. Vicki’s hands were in fists.

The Mask, Juno realized in a flash. She was after the Mask of Grimpathusis.

What had Sasha been thinking brining that into the house?

And if this was the kind of woman who wanted it… They were in deeper trouble than Juno had thought.

“Come on now-- think of the children.” Her voice slid around the grave stones, painful to listen to. It made Juno feel like something was caught in his throat and he needed desperately to cough. Like the very air entering his lungs was polluted with her harsh voice and poisonous words. “Don’t you want them to live long… fulfilling lives?”

Juno wished he could see better in the dark. His right eye was swollen shut, caught by surprise by the woman’s fist when she first broke into the mansion. They were lucky to have gotten this far.

Julian started to breath erratically, like a child holding back terrified tears, and that’s when Juno knew he needed to be a distraction. 

Juno wished he had his gun. Not that he would have been too handy with it while missing sight in his eye, but all the same. There was a comfort in it.

He swallowed hard, closed his eyes and took a slow breath. Took in the weight of Julian against his chest, of Viki at his side, warm and small and full of horrifying potential to take on the world. The both of them. Juno made up his mind. He had his chance to take on the world.

He pressed a quick kiss to Julian’s forehead and brushed the curls away from Viki’s face before leaning close, “When I get five steps away, run to your mom. Tell her to start running to the HCPD. Don’t tell them I sent you. Don’t mention me at all.”

Viki looked up at him, accusation clear in her big, brown eyes. She was wise beyond her years. She remained quiet. Julian squirmed free of his arms to look even more confused than usual and making unflinching eye contact with Juno.

The wave of bright, warm affection overcame Juno without warning and without hope of resisting it. He loved these children. He whispered as much as he stood, turned on his heel and marched away from his hiding spot.

“Come out, come out wherever you are.”

Juno walked seven steps, and then called out into the empty, dead air.

“I’m not hiding.”

“And I’m not playing.” Her voice was suddenly in his ear, right beside him.

Juno whirled around ready to fight vicious and dirty, arms raised and snarl fixed in place.

It struck Juno again just how old this woman was. And just how wrong she looked. Not-enough-meat-in-a-sausage-case kind of odd. He grit his teeth and lifted his fists higher.

“Good. I hate games,” Juno spat and threw the first punch. It collided with the woman’s shoulder but not with nearly enough force. He had been going for a dead arm on her dominant side, but he was just too shaken up. He had forgotten to listen for the kids. He had no idea if they had made it to Sasha, but as long as he kept this woman occupied they would be safe.

Probably.

He threw a second punch. She seemingly got out of the way of his fists because she simply didn’t want to be there. She laughed then, a horrible throaty noise like teeth dragging over concrete. Juno felt a shiver go up his spine and he lunged again. He froze mid-swing at a noise behind him. A very specific noise.

The whine of a laser charging. On a lethal setting.

He didn’t turn around. The woman grinned, cat-like. 

This was bad news.

“Now, Miasma. What did we say about toying with our food?”

This was pretty much the worst news.

That voice had been in his dreams for weeks now, lurking around dark corners or drifting in uninvited from open windows. It had wrapped him up, close and content, in the soft velvet dark of the nighttime hours.

And now its owner was here, pointing a fatal laser at his back.

Awesome. Just. Really fantastic.

“Rex. Shoulda known you’d want to finish what you started.” The bitterness in his voice lingered on Juno’s tongue. It reminded him of the vitamin supplements he had to take as a kid.

“Now now, Juno. You know my name now. Might as well use it.” The suggestion curled in the air, smug and… False. Something was strange. Something was off. Apparently Peter knew the act was stilted. “Down, Juno.”

Juno hit the ground before he registered the words fully. The shot screamed over his head, bursting into Miasma’s chest, fizzing along her skeletal structure in a sickly purple light. Her skin blistered and peeled before it burst, like an overripe peach, leaking fluids into the earth under their feet.

Juno first vomited, and then sat up, turning to face Peter. The gun was still smoking in his hand, but it was lowered and pointing at the ground.

“You still trust me.” His voice was very, very low. Almost rasping.

“God, can we not. Or can I get a drink first? This is the worst timing.” Juno did rasp. Puking made throats pretty raw.

Juno was shaking too hard to stand up and his arms gave out from under him. Nureyev knelt and grabbed his forearms, his hands were large, warm and steading, much to Juno’s ire.

Juno looked up and met Nureyev’s eyes. One of his hands left Juno’s arm and his thumb trailed over Juno’s cheekbone.

“Oh, Juno.”

The air slipped from his lungs, his forehead thunked into Peter’s solid shoulder.

“Are the children okay?”

“We’re fine!” called Annie’s voice from somewhere in the graveyard around them, “You two just have your romantic reunion! We’re going home!”

Juno huffed out a strangled laugh that grew and swelled past stopping. Peter drew him a little closer, laughing too, pressing his nose into Juno’s hair. And his lips to Juno’s cheek.  
Juno drew away slowly, eyes caught in Peter’s. Peter smiled, genuine and crooked.

And Juno kissed him.

**Author's Note:**

> got sad and wanted to add a happy ending on this so????? take it this is for u i love you


End file.
